Good morning all,
I have been making "saw dust" for about 10 years now I'm sure you know my type. I've started several projects never to finish them because I get hung up on a part of it. Well I recently purchase a Shop Smith on an online auction here in Michigan. I've always wanted one because of it's versatility, It came with several different attachments, Belt Sander, Biscuit Jointer, Floating table and this Incra Ultra Fence. Well the extension legs didn’t have the swivel joints that attach them to the Shop Smith and I only had 4 short extension tubes. So I ordered the necessary pieces I needed to set up the Fence and bought 2 five foot extension tubes to mount the fence according to the instructions provided. This fence is suppose to be incredibly accurate but there is still some “slop” in the table system. When we are talking accuracy up to thousands of an inch there is more “slop” in the table system each time you move the fence. I’m sorry for the long post but could sure use some insight on this system. When I watch some of the videos on the Shop Smith academy they are very accurate in their set ups and I would now like to make precise “saw dust” for a tool box I am looking at making.
Dusty,
Thanks for you quick reply. Yes mine looks just like the pictures you sent and I did get the mounting instructions with it. In answer to your questions.
1. You mount the Incra System to the extension table that came with my Shopsmith and it was pre drilled to accept the fence.
2. I have the 510 Shopsmith
3. The fence system came with a set of nylon bushing that ride along side of the Shopsmith rails which support the in feed and out feed side of it.
But as you can imagine the floating table which is what the fence us really mounted to has just the two adjustable legs supporting it. And I was wondering how much flex will I get as I’m pushing up against the fence to keep the boards tight to it?
I do not own the TS 111 fence so I cannot speak from experience but it would seem to me that if you attached it to the extension table that slides into the end of the Mark V you would solve the problem. The only disadvantage to that might be reducing the width of the board you could work with at the business end.
Sarge
Yes this is true and I did think of that. There would be a lot more support for the fence system and that’s why I asked the question here in the forum. In the directions it called for the end of the “floating table” to be 32 inches away form the main work table.
Can you use an extension table with the predrilled floating table immediatly to the left (snugged tight against the extension table) then the main table without running out of space.
The five foot extension tubes reach from extension table to extension table (if you have two) and make for a very stable work surface.
My Incra fence, which is a very early generation Incra, does not attach to the front and rear rails. The TSIII has brackets on both the infeed and outfeed ends of the fence that ride in the rails and serve to prevent lateral fence movement.
Do you have those brackets?
And I know you have all of the Shopsmith table locks properly secured. It is amazing how much unwanted movement you might get if one or two of those is not "tight".
"Making Sawdust Safely" Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
My TS III is set up for a 520. At the moment it is packed in a crate so I can't set it up to look at it. However I seem to remember I had some wobble at first and discovered when I reviewed my set up that I didn't get everything alligned perfectly the first time around. I also discovered that using the end table in the set up helps with making everything secure. Someone posted the suggestion here some time ago that placing the locking legs so they but up against the feet of the shopsmith (yes at an angle) makes them far more secure. I seem to remember someone placing a wooden block under the shopsmith feet with two holes drilled for the verticle locking tubes to seat themselves into. Personally I haven't tried that one. Jim
F. Jim Parks
Lakewood, Colorado:)
When the love of power is replaced by the power of love the world will have a chance for survival.
Although I only “joined” the Shopsmith fraternity a few days ago I can see what a tremendous help this site and Shopsmith.com are going to be to me moving forward. I have several pieces of the equipment I still know nothing about but I am confident I will get my answers here. A big thanks to everyone who has replied to my post and I will try your suggestions to night when I go through the lesson plans that came with my Shopsmith.
Although I only “joined” the Shopsmith fraternity a few days ago .....
I will try your suggestions to night when I go through the lesson plans that came with my Shopsmith.
Kellycat.
Going through the self study course and actually making those cuts is the very best thing you can do for yourself! Everyone should do that! By actually making the pieces and cuts in the course, methods get ingrained in your head.
Go for it, Kelly!!
Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
Great News,
I did set the "Floating Table" into the end of the shop smith and really just by mistake moved the power head closer to the middle of the machine. This allowed me to get the 32 inches to the end of the extention table that the fence called for. ( using the 5' extention tubes ) It is very stable and will work fine now.
